31 August 2008
Bart’s Books
Posted by Lelah under: Ojai; Shopping .
Bart’s Books is a true Ojai landmark. It takes up a large corner of a block, under oak trees, most of its many stalls open to the sky. Walk into the courtyard and you will see a mini labyrinth of bookshelves, organized by subject, and then (sometimes) by author’s last name. The cashier sits in the center, waiting to sell books at half their cover price, and often less. They also take trades for credit Monday through Friday. Bring in your books and those that they want they’ll give you one third of their value in book credit. It is a good way of recycling old books for new.
Never go to Bart’s with a specific book in mind, or a time limit. It is so easy to get lost in thought, head bent to the side in order to read the titles, just wandering around looking for a good read. It is almost meditative, to just look at all the names, keeping your mind open, until one makes you stop and pull it from the shelf.
Look for prices penciled on the upper right of the first page or so. They have a large selection of science fiction, mysteries, and novels, as well as travel, history, art, children’s books, young adult, humor, biography and much more. They also have a rare books section, which is actually indoors. They take cash and credit cards. My personal rule is to not buy more than I can comfortably carry–I usually take home about four novels at a time, spending less than 10 dollars to do so.
Bart’s Books. 302 Matilija St. Ojai, CA 93023 p. 805.646.3755 www.bartsbooksojai.com
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